The Power of Principles, Part IV

Webster defines serendipity as: The faculty of finding valuable
or agreeable things not sought for. In other words, you are just
sort of going about your life...doing your thing...and suddenly,
out of nowhere, this giant blessing just drops on your head. Not
being an extremely "lucky" person, I can count the truly
serendipitous events of my life on one hand and still have
several fingers left over. But without doubt, Jeffrey E. Jacobson,
Esq., is among that select number. Now how many people can say
that about their lawyer?

I met Jeff through my obsessive-compulsive attempts to get my
songs placed. His law firm, Jacobson & Colfin, P.C. -- which
specializes in entertainment issues -- had advertised in one of
my Music Industry publications for original songs. As is my custom,
I phoned first to be sure that the advertisement was accurate and
that they would, in fact, receive outside material. To my utter
shock, I was treated cordially and very professionally and
encouraged to send my songs. Several weeks later, I received a
letter from Jeff indicating that he would like to visit with me
about possibly representing my music publishing company and me,
as a songwriter.

Having heard all the latest lawyer jokes and having a
suspicious streak to boot, I found it very difficult to believe
that a New York law firm would want to represent moi! Why? What
did I have to represent? Would I be just another overcharged
client in the database of a fancy law office? I had found it
necessary to use the services of another entertainment attorney
several years earlier, who had charged for everything (I think
his meter started on the second ring of every phone call) and
had basically been quite inaccessible for any calls or
appointments other than dire emergencies. I had neither the
money nor the time to get involved in another such relationship.

But here is where the serendipity really kicked in! As I visited
with Jeff and learned to know him, I found him to be "cut from a
completely different cloth" than what I had expected. He is
rarely unavailable for a call. He is professional, thorough
and knowledgeable and treats my company and my issues with the
same respect and conscientious care that he offers to much
higher profile clients. He is a family man with high principles.
As each year goes by I have found Jeffrey Jacobson and his
partner, Bruce Colfin, to be men of integrity, great friends
and total blessings!

One day as I visited with Jeffrey on the phone, I confessed
my early misgivings about signing on with a New York lawyer and
let him know what a delightful contradiction he had proved
himself to be. In response he said: "Mary, at the bottom line
the Music Industry is like any other business. Would you want
to hire a plumber who was very talented but never showed up on
time, arrived hungover and then overcharged you for his
services? Of course not! The same is true about the Music
Business -- people want to find other people who are skilled,
honest and reliable. There are many very gifted people with
amazing talent, but their negative reputations have ruined
their careers."

Then Jeff added something that has permanently etched itself
into my memory. He said: "I've always believed that all you
have at the end of the day is your name and your integrity.
If you do not remain true to what you know in your heart is
right, the word gets out and quickly spreads -- and no matter
how you try to correct or conceal it, it's like trying to
put toothpaste back in the tube. It's not impossible...but it's
very very difficult!"

Time for another definition! Integrity is defined in the
dictionary as firm adherence to a code of moral or artistic
values. It is a quality closely connected to Excellence (The
Greer Guideline) and Credibility (The Credibility Factor),
and it can be extremely hard to maintain in the glitzy world
of Entertainment. When most people think about the Music
Business, they see it through what I call Glam Glasses. The
whole Industry is so glamorous and larger-than-life that we
can begin to think that the rules which apply to other
businesses and individuals do not apply here. The lucrative
potential of hit music causes the greed factor to kick in
for many, and little by little their code of ethics and
values becomes compromised. It is tempting -- when we see
famous people indulging their appetites with fast-lane
lifestyles and questionable morality -- to begin thinking
that somehow the normal consequences will not apply to them.
But anyone who has ever seen more than one installment of
VH1's Behind the Music will realize that the same demons that
have effectively derailed musicians for years are still very
sadly effective today.

There is a Bible proverb that says: "A good name is rather to
be chosen than great riches..." Most people agree with that
statement -- at least in principle. But when the "great riches"
start flowing in and others around you are enticing you to
"adjust" your values to fit the opportunities, it is difficult
to remember exactly why the old proverb once sounded so true.
Unless we have taken the time to clearly define our personal
principles and our boundaries prior to the advent of success
and prosperity, we may find that without even completely
realizing what is happening, we run adrift of our true goals
and find ourselves in a completely strange destination that
we never intended to reach.

Take some time to sit down and think about your own personal
values and principles. What is most important to you? Your
marriage? Your family? Your spirituality? Your health? Make
these the Non-Negotiables of your life -- those precious
qualities that you refuse to compromise no matter how much
money you stand to make or how famous you might become.
Every morning, review these principles and reinforce them
in your heart and mind. Then think about your business
practices. How do you want to be treated by others in this
Industry? Make this the standard you use to interact with
every person who crosses your path today.

For me, I decided long ago that people would always be more
important than either money or music -- that no matter how
important or unimportant someone may be in the world, they
are still a human being deserving dignity and consideration
as a person. I decided that I would not make judgments about
anyone based on their outward appearance or resume. I would
neither be intimidated by wealth and success nor would I
disparage poverty or lack of talent. This guiding principle
has proven to be far more profitable than I could have ever
dreamed. I have discovered amazing "diamonds in the rough"
and have come to know some of the most talented and
successful people in the Music Industry -- all have been
profoundly interesting and many have become great friends.

Then, it's time to look at your music. Remember, by our
definition integrity is a firm adherence to a code of moral
or artistic values. You've heard of musicians "selling out" to
become famous? It happens all the time. That's why it's very
important that you do some serious thinking about your musical
and writing goals as well -- what is negotiable and what is not.
We all know that in the long journey to become a master
songcrafter, we must make many adjustments...learn new ways of
writing and expressing ourselves….write and then re-write and
re-write and re-write. But in the longing to find a place for
ourselves and our music, we can often cross an invisible line
and begin giving up the very things about our music that make
it communicate effectively. Fads in music come and go -- and it's
good to learn the latest trends and styles -- but learn to know
what you do best and what you feel best doing musically. These
are your own unique gifts that make you who you are and will
probably be your keys to eventual success -- don't sell them
short or sell them out trying to be en vogue or "like" someone
else.

Integrity is what makes you proud to be you. It lets you look
yourself in the eye every morning and put your head down in
peace on your pillow at night. There is absolutely nothing more
valuable than that! Thanks, Jeffrey Jacobson, for the reminder
your life is to me that "all you have at the end of the day is
your name!"

**From her earliest childhood years writing simple songs
and poems with
her father, through her twelve years as an overseas
missionary, to her present,
multi-faceted career as an author, lyricist/songwriter and conference speaker,
Mary
has always been adept at using words to communicate her heart to
others.
She is the President of
CQK Records &
Music of Dallas, Texas, a company which creates and
produces songs in a panorama of musical styles for a
variety of audiences,
She is also the host of "I Write the Songs,"
a nationally syndicated radio talk show,
especially created to
inspire and instruct the more than 25 million aspiring
songwriters in the U.S. "I Write the Songs" is
broadcast over the Internet.
Mary is a frequent public speaker and seminar lecturer on songwriting.
She is a Contributing Editor for The Internet Writing Journal
®, and is a regular columnist for
Independent Songwriter Web Magazine.
Mary's commitment to discovering and mentoring talented new
songwriters has given her extensive experience in song
analysis through adjudicating songwriting competitions
and conducting songwriting workshops across the country
and around the world. Because of her role as president
of an independent music company, she is also well
qualified to instruct aspiring songwriters on the various
business aspects of the music industry.
She is married and a mother of four. She resides in the Dallas
area.
You can reach Mary
at: mary@cqkmusic.com